Sands Special Event Station GB4QDJ

 Hi Folks,

Welcome to a report on our Queens Diamond Jubilee hosted at Oysterber Farm.

We decided that the best time to setup was on the Saturday morning and Hughie G4UME and Steve set to work putting the 40m dipole up with a coaxial feed point around 30ft above ground. After a little adjustment the antenna was resonant and ready for action.

  Hancocks Hut

Whilst the antenna was being put up Ian G0VGS set the computer up and made sure the N1MM logging program was ready for use.  Brian G0RDH set the FT-2000D up with the Heil Pro headset with the HC5 Insert and the option of using a hand key or foot-switch to key the transmitter.
 
But why the HC-5 insert over the HC-4?  The answer is simple..... Although the HC-4 is designed for DX, I found it didn't work well for my voice whilst the HC-5 was fantastic and suited all operators.

If you would like to find out more about the characteristics please click on the hyperlink below.

Heil proset.

Regular readers of the blog will note that we usually use an Elecraft K3 for our events but on this occasion there was no Ranger 811H linear available.  My FT-2000D was used because we can use up to 200W.

 

Yaesu FT-2000D

Saturday
The station was on the air just before 9am and it was not long before it was found by amateurs eager to work the station both from the UK and Europe.

Operators for the day were:
Hughie G4UME, Steve G1TLQ  Mark M0DGK, Ian G0VGS and Brian G0RDH

Hughie G4UME

Steve G1TLQ

After putting the antenna up Steve spent some time on the radio before having to leave mid afternoon.  He's a true gentleman on the air and we don't get to see as much of him as we would like to to his work commitments.

 Mark M0DGK 

Mark joined us for a few hours on Saturday afternoon and it was great to see him enjoying using the radio.  For the last 8 years Mark has operated with me during the RSGBCC SSB contest and is just in the process of renovating a new house just around the corner from Hughie needless to say Hughie is trying to make inroads with him to operate as his partner for the contest.  Hands Off Hughie

 

 Stephany G1LAT

WX for Saturday was reported to be poor with heavy rain and cloud and I am pleased to report the the WX was fantastic with sunshine and a mild breeze but I know many amateurs around the country were suffering with really heavy rainfall and boy did we get it on Sunday.

We had sold contacts from the moment we called CQ that lasted throughout the day.  We had intended to use Barries 20m Vertical at some point during the event but conditions were so good we held a spot frequency on 40m we tried to listen for m3's & m6's along with QRP operators throughout the event and this was picked up and appreciated by other stations waiting to work us.  

Sunday
And the heavens opened!

Operators were: Brian G0RDH, Hughie G4UME, Ian G0VGS


Hughie and I made for Hancock's Hut in what can only we described as torrential rain which made things a little difficult as we navigated the pot-hole ridden country lanes to get to Hancocks Hut, they were filled with water and blended in perfectly with the road surface, having a good idea where the big ones were located we arrived unscathed, I set the radio up and Hughie brewed a perfect pot of tea.

Disaster strikes during "The Great Storm of 2012" 

Ok I am over exaggerating a little, this was more like a storm in a teacup..... compared with "The Great Storm of 2009" that bent our dipole and Spiderbeam masts in two and severely damaged our Spiderbeam.  All our antenna's were sound.

Please see Archive Pictures below.

 Spiderbeam mast bent in two and fiberglass sections shattered.

At the top end of the meadow you will see our Dipole mast suffered the same fate.

This was a freak storm with wind-speeds in excess of 100mph

Not long after 8am I had found a clear frequency and Hughie was enjoying his coffee when I felt a cold drip of water on the back of my neck to which I uttered words of surprise :) as a second drip soon followed. Hughie said "whats tu do" and proceeded to draw his finger down the tunnel and groove line causing me to say "Eccy Thump Hughie" (because I don't swear :) It was just like somebody turning the tap on and I was under it. I looked back to see Hughie trying to hide a little smile of success and contentment.  It was not long before Hughie had slowed the flow with the aid of our ever ready gaffer tape.

Satisfied there was no danger to the electrics or any of the equipment we carried on.  Ian arrived at 10am and we did two hour shifts between us. 

Archive photograph of Brian

This was not a rubber stamp event and were possible we had a short rag chew with stations. during one of these sessions I showed Hughie a picture from QRZ of the station he was working and Hughie commented in fun "He could have had a shave!" and a little banter continued within the QSO.

 Ian G0VGS

Monday

Operators Were:
Brian G0RDH, Hughie G4UME, Ian G0VGS, Linda G0YLM, Andrew G0LWU

The storm clouds had moved on and we were treated to a lovely start for our final day of activity from Hancocks Hut although not the final day of the event because Barrie G1JYB and Stephany G1LAT worked 100+ stations on Tuesday. from Barries station overlooking Hancocks Hut.

  Stepper IR & 20m Vertical

Hughie started the event off on Monday and a station who had heard the banter on Sunday called in advising us that he'd had a shave..... The station Hughie was working was quite rightly not best amused at the rouge comment but it made us smile..

Another incident that still makes me smile happened after I took over from Hughie..... Barrie G1JYB popped into the shack to see that we were ok before he set of for a bike ride with Kathy using the tandem.  Neither could talk quietly so I asked them both to leave Hancocks Hut and chat outside.... It dawned on me seconds later that I had just evicted Barrie our host out of his own purpose built shack..... That had me chuckling on and off for the rest of the day and Barrie was still in a state of shock as we were leaving. 

 Linda G0YLM

Linda  and Bob arrived around 10am and it was not long before she took control of my radio I am fairly sure for the first time lists were taken and it was not long before they were worked trough and more contacts were listed for working..... I was on air at one point during the afternoon and a station who had not had time to call in during Linda's session made reference to hearing a young lady operating that morning..... I felt sure Linda would be listening from home so passed a cheeky comment to which Linda replied immediately

 Andrew G1LWU

Andrew arrived mid afternoon and spent a few hours operating before helping to dismantle the station around 5pm.  Thank you to all the amateurs who took the time to work the station and shortwave listeners who took time to listen.  We had a really enjoyable event and we could not had done it without you.

Stephany G1LAT and Barrie G1JYB are running a Special Event Station GB4TDF from 26th June until 27th July inclusive from Oysterber Farm along with members of the Sands Contest Group.

It is to celebrate the 99th Tour de France, Cycling in general and Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish in particular who are both top contenders for the overall (Yellow Jersey) and the Points (Green Jersey), lets hope that they both do us proud in the UK because somehow, I feel that cycling is our most successful sport and gets the least coverage. We spend billions on Football and the Olympic Games but we are hardly world leaders in either, so, we thought that we would do our best for the guys who are likely to bring us success.

Barrie G1JYB

Our next event will be the IARU contest next weekend, followed by IOTA from Sunderland Point at the end of the July. We will also be running a Special event station for the Olympics

Thats it for now folks, thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.

73

Brian (The Reluctant Contestor)

Wray Scarecrow Festival Fete / Fair & GB4WSF

To mark the occasion of Wray Fair’s Silver Jubilee, one of this year’s themes for the scarecrows was ‘Anniversaries’. There are plenty to choose from – 2012 marks 200 years since the birth of Charles Dickens, 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic and, of course, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

There are a handful of places where I have enjoyed operating radio events at over the years and Wray Scarecrow festival is one of them.  Its a time when the whole village and friends get together and work hard to provide a first class family event and fun filled diary of activities.  The diary has something for all the family to enjoy culminating with a special day on the first Monday in May and the Wray Fair.

Wray Scarecrow Festival started on the 28th of April with a host 

of activities that can be seen below 

Wray School performs – confirmed daily at 1:30pm,  Mon-Fri during the Festival.
Event	Date/Time	Location
Start of the Scarecrow Festival	Saturday 28th April	Wray Village
10km Road Race	Saturday 28th April - 13:15hrs	Register - Wray Institute
Scarecrow Festival	Sunday 29th April	Wray Village
Car Boot Sale	Sunday 29th April - 08:00hrs	Wray School Field
Cricket Match	Sunday 29th April - 14:30hrs	Wray School Field
Scarecrow Festival	Monday 30th April	Wray Village
Scarecrow Festival	Tuesday 1st May	Wray Village
Scarecrow Festival	Wednesday 2nd May	Wray Village
John O'Gaunt Morris Dancers	Wednesday 2nd May - 19:00hrs	George & Dragon Pub
Scarecrow Festival	Thursday 3rd May	Wray Village
Classic Bike Night	Thursday 3rd May - 19:00hrs to 21:00hrs	Bridge House Farm Tea Rooms
Scarecrow Festival	Friday 4th May	Wray Village
Giant Scarecrow Parade	Friday 4th May - 20:00hrs	Wray Village
Scarecrow Festival	Saturday 5th May	Wray Village
Lune Valley Voices	Saturday 5th May - 14:00hrs	Wray Village
Scarecrowball race	Sunday 6th May	Wray Village
Scarecrow Fair	Monday 7th May	See details below

Please click on the links below to view videos taken at the festival

The History of the Wray Scarecrow Festival made by LancashireOne

The History of the Wray Scarecrow Festival

The Giant Scarecrow Parade

The video was taken on Friday 4th May by LancashireOne 

The Giants Scarecrow Parade

 Information on the diary's of events taken from the Scarecrow Festival website

Programme of events during Wray Fair on Monday 07th May 2012
11:30am	Wray to Caton Moor Fell Race – Starting in Main Street
	Events in the arena
11:30am	Samba Band
12:00pm	Official opening – by the cast of Morecambe Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society - The Sound of Music
12:15pm	Duck herding
12:45pm	Cumberland birds of prey
1:15pm	Junior football match
1:45pm	Fell Race - prize presentation
2:15pm	Dog agility
3:15pm	Duck herding
3:45pm	Cumberland birds of prey (finishing at approximately 4:15pm)

I don't intend to put many pictures of the Scarecrows from around the village into this blog because there are a large number excellent photographs taken by Billy Mathews.  If you would like to see them click on the link below where Billy has posted images on Fickr 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/billy-matthews/7002682974/in/photostream/lightbox/

All other images were taken by me unless otherwise stated.  You are welcome to copy any of my pictures for personal non-profit making use.

Sands Contest Group

The weather forecast for the event was not good with strong winds and rain forecast for both the Sunday and on Monday the day of the fair. As you can see from the pictures below we were blessed with perfect weather which only broke as the station was being taken down late Monday afternoon.

 Holy Trinity Church 

For those of you interested in Local History the church was built in 1839–40 

and designed by the Lancaster architect Edmund Sharpe.

for a full history of the Church please click on the link below.

Holy Trinity Church, Wray Lancashire

 

The picture above was taken on the day of the Fair

 

Antenna Setup

  

On the evening of Sunday 6th June Paul 2E0CKC arrived at the showground with his XYL Marion who wasted no time getting the pitch for the caravan sorted out.  Kev G6FKE and I picked up the equipment needed for the antenna and arrived on site at 6pm.  

The full team of members who helped set the antenna's up was:  Paul 2E0CKC, Damien G0LLG, Kev G6FKE and in a limited capacity myself G0RDH.

Whilst we were busy unpacking equipment,  Marion set to work putting the awning up and as we contemplated our contemplations and ruminated over our thoughts on how best to set the antenna up, Marion had the awning up, took the dog for a walk, put the kettle on and brewed up. 

The awning acted as our base for the event.

We are grateful to the village resident who allowed us to run a mains supply from his property.  

 

 Damien Paul and Kev sorted the ropes out ready 

for tossing over a suitable branch on the tree.  

It  was decided with this being a one day event to use a 40m dipole.  We considered the best way to erect the antenna leaving as little footprint as possible and decided upon using two trees located either side of the caravan, the attached ropes gave us the tension needed to support the antenna. 

Paul and I looked at how we could suspend the centre and came up with the idea of removing the small trolley wheel at the front of the caravan and dropping a mast into the housing that was secured with a clamp and a base plate was secured on the grass below the mast to stop it sinking into the soft earth.  

The only compromise was loosing the base section of the mast but this worked fine giving us a centre point for the antenna of around 25ft above ground.   This approach worked out very well on heath and safety grounds because there was no need to use stakes and extra ropes around the caravan.

 

A picture of Paul 2E0CKC taken as stall holders were setting up on Monday

Ian arrived early on Monday morning with his XYL Linda G0YLM and close friend and fellow amateur Bob G1OCK.  It was not long before the K3 was setup and linked to the Ranger 811H Linear Damien was good enough to loan us for the event. 

 

Ian G0VGS

Ian started the event off after finding a clear frequency on the band. and it was not long before he had an early morning pileup.  Ian handed the station over to me where contacts continued to line up and work the station.

Prior to operating I took a look around the site and spied heaven on a spit..... regular readers of the blog will know that I love my food and here I was operating the radio when my logger sat down with an oven bottom barmcake filled with pork, stuffing and apple sauce to say that I was disgruntled would be an understatement.

On top of that I realised that I had forgotten to take any money out with me but Paul redeemed himself by loaning me the £4 needed to purchase this guilty pleasure and boy was it good!

 

 

Linda G0YLM took over from me and it was not long before she organised a running list bringing order to what was organised ciaos.  As stations called in she she noted callsigns and in true Dads Army style inform the station's she heard "Your name vil also go on zee list" :)

 

 Linda G0YLM with Kev G6FKE logging

 

Despite wearing headphones we had difficulty masking out the audio from the PA system that had one of it speaker speaker cones facing in our direction.  One of the funnier moments was when the sheep dog demonstration was running, audio was provided via a wireless mic back to the PA system and each time the dog whistle was used it was akin to the hetero-dyne of somebody tuning up on frequency. 

As you will hear on Barries Video link "The Samba Band" entertaining the public did not need the PA.

 

 Stephany G1LAT

Thanks to Stephany and Barrie and Kathy for organising this event at Wray 

below is a short video that Barrie took on the day

 Video of GB4WSF At The Wray Scarecrow Festival 2012 by G1JYB

 

 Matthew M3UAY did some operating with his Dad Andrew G0LWU logging for him

Operators for the day included:

Ian G0VGS, Linda G0YLM, Brian G0RDH, Stephany G1LAT, Andrew G0LWU, Matthew M3UAY, Kev G6FKE and Mark M0DGK and thanks to Marion who kept us fed and watered throughout the event.

If you would like to learn more about B4RN (Broadband for Rural North please take a look at the link below) It may inspire you to look further into it for your community

  B4RN FTTP lancashire broadband on The One Show 22-05-2012 (HD)

There are a number of other video's available on YOUTUBE made by local residents

The next section of the Blog covers some of the Stalls and Excellent Displays that took place over the day

Amongst the numerous stalls selling home produce was the one above that caught my attention because they also catered for members of the public restricted to a Gluten Free diet.

 The Wickerman

It was nice to see country crafts on display in the form of weaving wicker chairs and baskets etc.

I think this display was made by a Wray resident   

The Ducking Stool

The Ducking Stool was a popular attraction as members of the public looked 

forward to the splash of a young maiden hitting the water. 

There were plenty of satisfied customers and a number of maidens 

on hand to take the seat..... The water was cold!
 

It was a pleasure to see and look around the beautiful 

 organ seen below. The history of the organ was taken 

on site as presented by the owner

DE-PRONKJWAIL

60 KEY DUTCH STREET ORGAN

THE ORGAN WAS BUILT IN 1850 AS A BARREL ORGAN

AFTER 60 YEARS USE IT WAS CONVERTED TO PLAY BOOK MUSIC

AND ENLARGED TO A 46 KEY ORGAN BY;- LIMONAIRE OF (PARIS)

 AGAIN IN 1930 IT WAS OVERHAULED AND ENLARGED TO 

A 60 KEY ORGAN BY GEBR'VAN STEENPUT OF (BELGIUM)

IN 1960(E.VAN POLEN) OF GRONINGEN NETHERLANDS EXHIBITED 

IN THE NAUTIC HALL (HAARLEM) AND ALSO PLAYED THE STREETS 

IN (GRONINSEN) FOLLOWED BY A SPELL IN UTRECHT MUSEUM

 IN 1979 FURTHER RESTERATION WAS CARRIED OUT BY:- 

ANTON PLUER OF (BUSSUM) NETHERLANDS.

THE ORGAN HAS 215 WOODEN PIPES MADE FROM VARIOUS 

TYPES OF WOOD AND HAS PLAYED IN MOST LARGE CITIES IN EUROPE.

PRONKJEWAIL IS ON THE BOOKS OF THE ROYAL NETHERLANDS 

EMBASSY IN LONDON, FOR WHEN A DUTCH STREET ORGAN 

IS REQUIRED IN THIS COUNTRY FOR PROMOTIONAL WORK ETC.

 THE ORGAN WAS PURCHASED AT THE GREAT DORSET STEAM FAIR

IN SEPTEMBER 1988 BY THE PRESENT OWNER

ENQUIRIES TO :- B.SLINGER

RAVENSWOOD, FORLANDS, BENTHAM

NR. LANCASTER

01524261577

Classic Vehicles

There was a wide selection of Lotus high performance cars on display

How this beauty failed to loose its spoiler beats me it was just a couple of inches above the grass

There were also a few TVR's on display

The Wills Jeep

A Display of the classic Mini

Some shots of a classic Norton Motorbike.

On to the parade ground

The main arena hosted a number of events which included a Samba Band Sheep and Geese Herding and a very good aerial display of a number of birds of Prey. 

Gary Swainson

Gary Swainson gave an excellent demonstrations with the help of the Birds of Prey he had brought along.  I was unable to watch the first demonstration but was able to listen to his commendatory which was flawless and smooth as silk as he relayed factual information on each of the birds.  

I was however able to watch part of the last display where onlookers were able to watch the aerial abilities of the Harris Hawks and a young Eagle Owl etc.

The Harris Hawk

Graham explained that although the Harris Hawk could hunt alone it was far more effective hunting in groups, you can see another Harris Hawk walking behind Graham as he lets another take flight.

Please click on the link below for a video of the Eagle Owl

filmed by jackhynes

A short film on the controversial status of the Eagle Owl in Britain.
With thanks to Tony Warburton of the World Owl Trust and Tim Melling of the RSPB.

The Notorious Eagle Owl

Director and producer: George Pillas
Camera and editor: Jack Hynes
Script writer: Iuliia Poberezhna

 The link below shows a great clip of the Eagle Owl  

filmed on a high speed camera and what a set of talons 

short clip of the Eagle Owl in flight

Uploaded by wickedinsight on Nov 24, 2009

 

If you would like to learn more about the work Graham is involved in please click on the link below

http://www.birdofpreycentre.co.uk/ 

I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog.  Although this was a radio event form the Sands Contest Group, I thought it would be nice to focus on the entertainment and local produce that was available for the public to see.  It scares me just to think of the logistics that go into making this festival such a success year after year.  It has been a pleasure for the group to be small part of this years event.

The next Blog will cover our special event station GB4QDJ 

Best 73

Brian G0RDH